GRIZZLY HUNTING

one eye joe · #1 01-09-2015, 12:55 PM

AS OF LATE, THERE HAS BEEN MUCH DISCUSSION ON VARIOUS THREADS ABOUT WHAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE PROTECTION AGAINST A BEAR ATTACK. MUCH OF IT HAS BEEN SPECULATION BY MEMBERS WHO HAVE READ MUCH, BUT MAY HAVE NEVER EVEN SEEN A BEAR IN REAL LIFE. IN ANY EVENT, THIS VIDEO SHOWS AN ACTUAL GRIZZLY HUNT, AND SHOWCASES THE EXCITING S&W 500 MAGNUM REVOLVER….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8mqAYAxrlg

one eye joe · #2 01-09-2015, 07:07 PM

THIS SHOOTER, REVOLVER AND AMMO COMBINATION DID ITS JOB IN EXCELLENT FASHION. ONE WELL PLACED SHOT DROPPED THIS BIG BOY WHERE HE STOOD. IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER………..

Jamesatrange · #3 01-09-2015, 07:40 PM

I stumped upon that one before and enjoyed watching it. I just watched it again. It does show the power of the 500 mag. Thanks

da gimp · #4 01-09-2015, 07:52 PM

Thank you sir.......... an excellent hunt by an expert shot.

John Rus · #5 01-12-2015, 02:03 AM

I've seen it before but watched it again also. No doubt a heck of a revolver round!

John.

ken158 · #6 01-12-2015, 03:37 AM

Hard to believe that grizzly "hunting" and S&W can be used in the same sentence.

Glockcubed · #7 01-12-2015, 07:43 PM

Thanks for sharing. Very good.

akjaeger · #8 01-13-2015, 01:26 PM

Here's some photo's of a big brown bear, killed by one of my hunter's on the Alaska Peninsula in 2006.
This bear had some 338 Winchester mag's, some 338 Ultra mag's and three rounds from my 450 Alaskan in him before he tipped over.
A mad dash of a stalk, then a long shot resulted in three hours of tracking the bear through the brush to finish him.

da gimp · #9 01-13-2015, 06:37 PM

Several years ago I had the good fortune to read the accounts of a brown bear guide in Alaska, who used an* iron sighted*, Magnum Mauser in .458 Winchester , with the barrel cut down to if I'm recalling correctly somewhere between 20" & 22". His loads were either all Win factory soft points or handloads that were the same specs.

In all the back up shooting he'd done ( if the bear didn't quickly drop after the first several rounds from the client, or before it could get into the alders/brush) , all the way up to rounds fired from distances measured in feet not yards, he'd only had 1 bullet from his .458 Winchester go completely through the huge bruins & exit the body.....

All of his clients had to agree to his decision about whether or not he'd fire back up rounds to be at his sole discretion..or he'd refuse their hunt.....period. The gent's account, who was a guide in the post above, mirror his stories on what it can take to anchor an animal who though severely & quite often fatally wounded.. refusing to lay down & die before it could hurt/destroy what or who'd hurt him.

mc5aw · #10 01-13-2015, 09:05 PM

A while back I was at the range and stepped on some big brass while shooting in one of the pistol pits. First one piece, then another, then three more ... once-fired casings from a S&W .500. Then I stepped on something else ... a sixth piece of brass with a live round still in it. Seems that whoever was testing out his 500 had mistakenly dropped one in the grass with the spent cases. Biggest darn round I've ever seen ... kept it as a souvenir ... I can't imagine firing a handgun that size and power, let alone at a grizzly.

The film mentioned taking the hide and skull ... I suppose they left all the pounds of bear burgers at the kill site rather than trying to hump them back to camp.

BearBio · #11 01-14-2015, 10:18 AM

The OP sounds like he works for S & W.............

There should be one factor mentioned: There is a BIG difference between sniping a relaxed, unsuspecting bear sidewise and facing an enraged, adrenalin laced 800 pounds of muscle head on! One is meandering along and one is coming at you at 40 mph or so! One is minding his own business and one has made YOU his business.

I am sure there was a large bore rifle off camera also.

Lee Jones · #12 01-14-2015, 12:19 PM

Quote:
"The film mentioned taking the hide and skull ... I suppose they left all the pounds of bear burgers at the kill site rather than trying to hump them back to camp."

To my understanding brown bear is not edible and state law in Alaska allows it to be left in the woods. Skull and hide must brought out.

Correct me Alaskans if I am wrong.

Lee Jones(Celtgun)

one eye joe · #13 01-14-2015, 01:01 PM

I CAN'T COMMENT ON ALAKA STATE LAW, BUT IT WOULD SEEM ODD THAT THE EATING OF AN ANIMAL THAT CAN BE LEGALLY HUNTED, CANNOT BE EATEN. THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF ALASKA PROBABLY USE BEAR AS A FOOD SOURCE, AND PROCESS THE REST OF THE BEAR FOR A VARIETY OF PURPOSES. BEARS TASTE LIKE WHAT THEY EAT. I ATE A BEAR THAT WAS FEEDING ON A HILLSIDE OF WILD BLUEBERRY FOR WEEKS BEFORE IT WAS SHOT. THE MEAT HAD A DISTINCT BLUEBERRY FLAVOR. I WOULD TRY BROWN BEAR THAT HAD BEEN FEEDING WHEN THEIR FOOD SOURCE WAS BERRIES, BUT PASS ON A BEAR THAT HAD BEEN EATING A DIET OF FISH...

one eye joe · #14 01-14-2015, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearBio

The OP sounds like he works for S & W.............

There should be one factor mentioned: There is a BIG difference between sniping a relaxed, unsuspecting bear sidewise and facing an enraged, adrenalin laced 800 ponds of muscle head on! One is meandering along and one is coming at you at 40 mph or so! One is minding his own business and one has made YOU his business.

I am sure there was a large bore rifle off camera also.

LMAO, BearBio. I WISH I DID WORK THERE. I AGREE THAT THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN KILLING AN UNSUSPECTING ANIMAL WITH A WELL PLACED SHOT, AND STOPPING AN ENRAGED ANIMAL IN A FULL CHARGE. ONLY A FOOL WOULD FACE THAT CHALLENGE W/O A BIG BORE RIFLE BACK UP IN THE HANDS OF AN EXPERIENCED SHOOTER. AT LEAST WE KNOW THAT THE 500MAG CAN PENETRATE AND SMASH THE BONES OF A LARGE BEAR. SHOT PLACEMENT (AS USUAL) WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THE CHARGE OF A GRIZZLY WILL BE STOPPED. BODY PARTS THAT NO LONGER FUNCTION BY WAY OF A DESTROYED BRAIN, SEVERED SPINAL COLUMN, OR SHATTERED PELVIS WILL STOP A CHARGE. A HEART OR LUNG SHOT WILL CAUSE THE ADRENALIN FUELED BEAR TO BLEED OUT, WHILE HE IS CHEWING ON YOUR LIFELESS BODY. OF COURSE, THIS IS JMHO AS I HAVE NEVER STOPPED A LARGE BEAR IN A FULL CHARGE. MY OPINION IS SOLELY BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE HUNTING LARGE BOAR….…...

BearBio · #15 01-14-2015, 01:33 PM

One editorial correction, if you please!

"ONLY A FOOL WOULD willinglyFACE THAT CHALLENGE W/O A BIG BORE RIFLE BACK UP IN THE HANDS OF AN EXPERIENCED SHOOTER."

Sometimes, you got no choice!

Bear meat, especially brown bears, is often full of parasites and the liver can contain lethal levels of Vitamin A. Don't know why it wouldn't be edible if properly cared for. Likely the state just being safe.

one eye joe · #16 01-14-2015, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearBio

One editorial correction, if you please!

"ONLY A FOOL WOULD willinglyFACE THAT CHALLENGE W/O A BIG BORE RIFLE BACK UP IN THE HANDS OF AN EXPERIENCED SHOOTER."

Sometimes, you got no choice!

Bear meat, especially brown bears, is often full of parasites and the liver can contain lethal levels of Vitamin A. Don't know why it wouldn't be edible if properly cared for. Likely the state just being safe.

YUP, WILLINGLY IS THE OPERANT WORD, Bear Bio…....

old 1911 fan · #17 01-14-2015, 02:40 PM

Alaska Law Statute 16.30.010 states that "Wanton Waste" is a Class A Misdemeanor. The law states that at least the hindquarters must be saved for human consumption. I'm an avid black bear hunter. The brown or grizzly is too expensive for my budget. I have been lucky and taken 2 large black bears. One 6'8" nose to tail the other 7'2". There are people that happily bring home grizzlys that size. My 7'2" bear was hit with a .375 H&H Mag with a 300 grain Nossler Partition. The bullet entered the front shoulder an exited the hip on the opposite side. That was over 5' of internals with the shoulder and hips being broken. He slumped down on his rump and came up like he sat on a hot frying pan. He then only traveled about 75' into a berry patch and expired. Handguns for bear protection is a comforting thought for some. But when they get big you better hit them hard and save the last shot for oneself! Bear meat is definetly edible. It can be a bit "gamy" I cook up the whole thing into "Bear BQ". You can't tell the difference in it and pulled pork. And a previous poster is correct in that bear liver is toxic.

old 1911 fan

one eye joe · #18 01-14-2015, 07:43 PM

THANKS FOR YOUR VERY INFORMATIVE POST, old 1911 fan. I AM A GREAT FAN OF THE NOSLER PARTITION BULLETS. I DON'T HANDLOAD, BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL FACTORY LOADS IN VARIOUS CALIBERS THAT FEATURE THE NP BULLET. I LOVE HANDGUN HUNTING, BUT WHEN I WAS PREPARING TO GO TO ALASKA FOR A FISHING TRIP, I PURCHASED A MARLIN GUIDE GUN IN 45-70 GOVERNMENT, AND A STOCK OF GARRETT AMMO, FOR BEAR PROTECTION. (AT THAT POINT IN TIME, THE .44 MAGNUM WAS THE MOST POWERFUL HANDGUN CALIBER EXTANT) UNFORTUNATELY, THE TRIP NEVER CAME TO PASS……...

old 1911 fan · #19 01-14-2015, 08:23 PM

Handguns for bear protection and bear hunting are 2 different things. I have hunted and harvested 2 with handguns. Both were taken with a scoped 14" TC Contender in .44 Mag. My first came up my ladder stand and had me by the foot a 300 grain Sierra JSP in the head and she fell to the base of the ladder dead! My second pistol bear was at 62 yards again the 300 g Sierra that one dropped when I came back up reloaded he was wiggling around where he fell and I hit him a second time. All movement stopped. Generally when I'm in bear country I carry only 1 gun. For trips to the outhouse I do keep a 3" 629-6 on my hip.

old 1911 fan
'Nam '67-'71 3rd Herd

mc5aw · #20 01-14-2015, 08:30 PM

For reference purposes, here are some photos of a Hornady .500 S&W Mag round side by side with a Speer .44 Special and a 25c piece. The Speer is my usual HD/SD load.

one eye joe · #21 01-14-2015, 08:45 PM

WELCOME HOME, old 1911 fan. A VERY GOOD FRIEND OF MINE RAN WITH THE THIRD HERD AS A COMBAT MEDIC. HE SURVIVED THE HEAVY FIGHTING FOR HILL 875 DURING THE BATTLE OF DAK TO. HIS NAME IS EARL "DOC" JACKSON. IF IT RINGS A BELL, AND YOU WISH TO CONTACT HIM, PM ME FOR HIS E-MAIL ADDRESS………..

one eye joe · #22 01-14-2015, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mc5aw

For reference purposes, here are some photos of a Hornady .500 S&W Mag round side by side with a Speer .44 Special and a 25c piece. The Speer is my usual HD/SD load.

THAT'S A LARGE TUBE OF LIPSTICK, mc5aw……..

akjaeger · #23 01-14-2015, 09:40 PM

Naw, you don't have to salvage the meat from a brown or grizzly bear.
The natives out in Chignik Lake sometimes use the fat and sometimes they boil the feet and eat them. If I pack in any fat or feet, most of the time it just rots in the skinning shed.
I've had quite a few hunters who declared they were going to eat some brown bear meat. After skinning the greasy, stinking carcass not one has taken up my offer to salvage a back strap for them.
Out of the 27 brown bears I have personally guided to, 15 required some kind of follow up shooting on my part.
Of the 4 bow hunters I've guided, one successfully arrowed a bear at 25 yards that died with out a follow up shot, one was wounded that I had to track and kill and 2 hunters decided to use my rifle after witnessing brown bears in the flesh.

rwsmith · #24 01-14-2015, 10:28 PM

Though I don't do it myself, I like hunting, I like hunting videos and reading good hunting stories. Still I don't see a lot of sense in traveling 100s of miles to shoot a bear that isn't bothering you and that you don't intend to eat. Hunting for food is A OK. In Africa there are generally enough people around to consume hunted animals. I can see varminting and population control or shooting a dangerous animal that has become too close to humans. I would hunt boar simply because they are out of control and destructive. But I would have liked this hunt to have ended with a camera shot. I do admire their restraint in waiting for a really old male to come along, though. And the .500 S&W is awesome.

mc5aw · #25 01-14-2015, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwsmith

Though I don't do it myself, I like hunting, I like hunting videos and reading good hunting stories. Still I don't see a lot of sense in traveling 100s of miles to shoot a bear that isn't bothering you and that you don't intend to eat. Hunting for food is A OK. In Africa there are generally enough people around to consume hunted animals. I can see varminting and population control or shooting a dangerous animal that has become too close to humans. I would hunt boar simply because they are out of control and destructive. But I would have liked this hunt to have ended with a camera shot. I do admire their restraint in waiting for a really old male to come along, though. And the .500 S&W is awesome.

That old boy in the video had some ragged teeth, and was probably coming to the end of his territorial reign. Seems that he was harvested at the right time.

Stu1205 · #26 01-15-2015, 12:51 AM

Now we know which handgun to carry for protection against bears.

I guess this will be the end of bear threads.

Stu

rwsmith · #27 01-15-2015, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mc5aw

That old boy in the video had some ragged teeth, and was probably coming to the end of his territorial reign. Seems that he was harvested at the right time.

You're right. One thing that helped me was that they waited for a big old one. If that younger one that was fighting the old one came by first, would they have shot it? Believe me. I'm not saying it's wrong or even unethical, just leave me out of it.